March 2013

03/25/2013

Last week, I picked up some Meyer lemons at the grocery store, mostly because I've been craving all things lemon lately but also to add some spring color and cheer to the kitchen. I should say, force some spring color and cheer into the kitchen... it's been a cold start to spring thus far! Rob decided to make Smitten Kitchen's Lemon Bars on Sunday and they were so incredibly good. Have I mentioned how much I love that cook book? I do, and we do as it turns out. These bars were perfectly lemony and wonderful. They're as perfect for an after lunch snack as they are for breakfast. I know this from experience! I have a sneaking suspicion they're pretty perfect for a Monday night snack... I'll report back. Happy Monday everyone.

03/18/2013

I had big plans for the loft this weekend. Spring cleaning, some organizing, some folding... and not much happened. Instead, Rob and I spent a full weekend with friends and family, picking up new sheets and relaxing together. It was lovely. I did manage to organize some of my precut ("my precious") bundles into the bookcase that keeps on giving. There is just so much space in that bookcase and I love it. The space to the left of that beautifully organized case is about as disastrous as one could imagine. I'm messy when sewing and cutting. Really, really messy. All of the material from various projects (if you squint you can see this stack squashed in there) is wrangled in that mass of fabric. It needs folding. Badly. And yet, I don't feel so guilty that it was neglected this weekend. We had a lovely few days and it was just what we needed.There's always next weekend... or possibly tomorrow if this snow keeps up. Happy Monday everyone.

03/17/2013

"Just no more cookbooks!" is a phrase often repeated around Christmas and Rob's birthday here at our house. This guy of mine is notoriously difficult to shop for ("I have everything I need!"). It is however, all too tempting for me as someone who loves books and loves Rob to want to add to his quickly growing cook book collection, but in truth, he has a few cherished favorites that he uses almost always to plan our meals and adventures in eating. When I saw Top Pot's book, I bent our rule of no more cookbooks.

Top Pot Hand Forged Doughnuts is a Seattle based doughnut legend that is consistently voted best doughnut in the area. People seem to love their doughnuts and rave about their tasty creations. Rob likes to indulge in a doughnut every day few doughnuts when he travels to Seattle for work. He even braved TSA to bring one home for me on one of his trips. It was so, so good.

So for Rob's birthday, I knew Top Pots cookbook would be a hit... and that it would prompt testing and doughnut eating. Last weekend while I was busily sewing in the loft, Rob was making the "Glazed Ring Doughnuts". They were so delicious, eaten plain or with a bit of sugar. We bought a candy/deep fry thermometer and it was well worth it. At the same time that we are getting used to doughnut making, we are also getting used to our new oven's bread proofing settings. Rob felt like the oven was a bit too dry to really do its best on the doughnut dough in its rising phases, I thought they were fluffy and wonderful. Rob's final verdict was that more practice needs to happen, and that is just something I'm not going to disagree with or complain about! The cookbook is filled with recipes for other things besides doughnuts or baked goods that can be made with left over doughnuts. Left over doughnuts? Not in this house. Maybe with more practice. Happy weekend everyone, hope it finds you enjoying whatever it brings your way.

03/14/2013

Oh my, the geese, the geese I tell you! I spent most of Friday and part of Saturday working on my Flying Geese quilt. Chain piecing these is satisfying work, but it is taking some time to put this together. I have to remind myself that the original quilt is made for a full to queen size bed and this is going to take a while. Most of my geese have acquired a wing and I have a load of ironing to do. My pile of triangles dwindles by the day and I'm so looking forward to putting this together. I'm thinking it will probably be sent out to be quilted. I can't imagine finishing this myself. It is, however, very nice to be thinking about the finishing. The end is in sight... I think!

03/09/2013

This is what the snow looked like yesterday, at times it looked like pouring rain. That dog in the window is not for sale. She's a protective one that lady, she would like her humans inside with her where it is much safer and certainly warmer. Sweet lady. Happy weekend everyone, we're glad to see the sun this Saturday!

03/08/2013

Today, there will be sewing... and snuggling... and reading... and period film watching. This is tinged with a bit of sadness for me, we're off again for a (surprise!) fourteen inches or so of snow. My last day of school will now be June 24th. Ugh. I'm choosing to hold back the frustration as the snow literally rains down outside... it looks a bit like this...

It really is quite beautiful, but oh, my... my summer! I cherish those days in the summer and they dwindle, they truly do. Today I'm choosing to sew, snuggle and be satisfied with the day we have. And for a true silver lining (Excelsior!), the weekend looks like a Spring preview around here... highs in the low 50s. A treat for sure. Today I sew, and peek outside to wonder at how changeable this little corner of our world can be. A very happy start to this weekend for you, I hope you are finding yourself surprised today!

03/07/2013

Some beautiful quilts made with black and white fabrics have popped up in the blogosphere and I've caught the bug. Of course, this quilt has been on my oogling list for a few weeks now. I love those bits of solids mixed with the black and whites. So perfect. And just when I thought I could get away with not making a x plus quilt this year, Holly made this lovely Field Study quilt with black and white fabrics off setting Anna Maria's gorgeous designs. And I'm smitten again. So, so smitten. How beautiful is that quilt? And so I might have picked up this bundle (put together by Audrie!) of blacks and whites. And I might have pulled all of my black and white fabrics from my stash and placed them on my cutting table. And I might even be dreaming of cutting up my Field Study bundle and backing a quilt with velvet. Smitten I tell you. A girl can never have too many black and white fabrics and apparently a girl can never have too many works in progress. Sigh... it seems a girl can never have enough hours in the day! With black and white on the brain, happy Thursday everyone!

03/06/2013

I couldn't resist Rashida Coleman Hale's new line Tsuru and a bundle of these beautiful prints arrived last week. I'm so in love. Some of the large scaled prints are perfect for whole cloth quilts, and I'm thinking some might be sweet for some baby blankets as gifts as well. I especially love this print:

image from Hawthorne Threads

So pretty and perfect for backings and blankets. I'm thinking of using Jenni's plus quilt tutorial and some solids for the rest of these prints. As soon as I finish a few other things in the works that is! And if Tsuru isn't enough to make me drop everything and work with those prints, check out Rashida's next line Koi. Looking forward to July (for several reasons)! Happy Wednesday everyone!

03/03/2013

We took a quick ride up to Boston (one of the furthest T Stations out from the city is really only about an hour away from home for us) yesterday to introduce a friend's son's Flat Stanley to Boston. According to the Flat Stanley rules and history (did you know he was squashed by a bulletin board at school?... yikes) we really should have photographed him here in Connecticut where he was sent, but Rob's initial idea of introducing the kids to Mystic and the fascinating history of the whaling ships was one we thought might be too much, too soon. Although, kids seem to be fine with Flat Stanley's fateful day with an unsecured bulletin board so maybe not. We decided to dress him up in some baseball gear and use it as an excuse to head into a city we love.

I loved photographing the city (and Rob's arm and Stanley) on this grey day. It was a bit chilly and a little raw, but we so enjoyed just walking around the North End for a while. We had lunch and then what should have been lunch at Mike's Pastry. Cannolis... so, so good. We devoured one in the car when we got back to it. I haven't stopped thinking about them. We saw Paul Revere's statue (took a picture of Flat Stanley riding with him), Quincy Market flowers, Gordon Ramsey visited Gallaria 33, and the most amazing dog tag memorial for those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We love Boston. I hope this weekend finds you surrounded by things you love.

03/02/2013

I have a bit of a problem... I'm developing a deep love of flying geese! For someone who doesn't love the cutting of fabric or intricate template required patterns and who is not a fan of birds in her non-sewing life (don't ask), this new love of flying geese is quite unexpected. My love for this stunning quilt has been long documented here, there and everywhere. I just love the look and feel of that quilt... and never would have attempted it without my AccuQuilt (thank you again Honey, I love it!). Cutting these triangles was a breeze, the piecing has been so fast and so easy with chain piecing. I'm thrilled with how this is coming together and am having difficulty thinking of doing anything but making geese. That sounds strange. One of the things I love most about my new toy is that it is not only saving me an enormous amount of time cutting (I do cut fabric 1/4'' around the dyes to make sure I am not wasting too much fabric) but it is allowing me to take on projects I never would have. I'm thinking about parallelogram dyes and even hexagons. So exciting. Happy weekend everyone, guess where I'll be!